Project Management: Developing Skills of Ngos

DEVELOPING SKILLS OF NGOS
Project Management
DEVELOPING SKILLS OF NGOS
Project Management
Written by
ERMIRA LUBANI and MIHALLAQ QIRJO
Edited by
LASZLO PERNECZKY and ALKEN MYFTIU
THE REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER

for Central and Eastern Europe
About the REC
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Eastern Europe (CEE). The Center fulfils this mission by encouraging cooperation among non-governmen-
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exchange of information and by promoting public participation in environmental decision-making.
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ISBN: 963 9424 23 4
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CONTENTS
Topic Material 5
Overview 7
Training Project Managers 10
Training Toolkit 23
Tool 1: Scavenger Hunt 25
Tool 2: Ambiguous Directions 27
Tool 3: Robots 28
Sample Workshop Agenda 29
P R O J E C T M A NAG E M E N T 3
4 P R O J E C T M A NAG E M E N T
Topic Material
TO P I C M AT E R I A L
Overview
Introduction
Managing a project may seem like a daunting task that requires a great deal of exper-
tise, knowledge and practice. It may seem hard to understand, follow or accomplish.
In many ways, however, everyone is a full-time project manager in their daily lives.
Some examples of complex, yet everyday projects are:
• shopping;
• cleaning the flat;
• organising a football match;
• preparing for an exam;
• planning a vacation; and
• living on a fixed salary.
A close look at these activities shows they are all “projects” with individual project
managers. There are common elements to all these routine tasks.
What is a project?
A project is:
• a result oriented, concrete, practical effort;
• directed towards the solution of a relatively complex problem or issue;
• an activity with defined objectives and expected results;
• limited by time, as well as financial, technical and human resources;
• planned in advance and evaluated at the end.
Do the above examples include these elements?

We may also add that a project is normally a one-time occasion, non-frequent, non-
periodical effort.
In addition, a “project” stands as the smallest of the 3 P’s: “PPP.” The “medium P”
stands for “programme,” which is a larger, longer, more complex and less objective-ori-
ented plan. The “biggest P” stands for “policy,” which is the general, wide ringing direc-
tion that defines the framework for most of the activities we do.
And what is management?

Some “fancy” definitions:
• Man-age-ment 1) The act, manner, or practice of managing, supervising, or control-
ling. 2) The person or persons, who manage a business establishment, organisation
or institution (The American Heritage Dictionary).
• The effort of planning, organising and mobilising people and resources for a given
purpose.
• The process undertaken by one or more individuals to coordinate the activities of
others, to achieve results not achievable by one individual acting alone.
• It is no more than a relatively simple tool that can help us to establish the factors that
affect the success of an operation.
So what is project management?

Obviously, a combination of both concepts: the “project” defines the framework for the
objectives, expected results and resources — human, financial and other. Reaching the
objectives, following the work phases and organising the tasks falls under management.
Why is it important? It is worth re-emphasising that nothing is just “art for art’s sake.”
We have one general goal, one policy (lifestyle, approach, noble aims), several pro-
grammes and even more projects. Project management is only a tool, a set of meth-
ods and techniques that helps us effectively reach the goals and objectives.
Figure 1 challenges the “flat cleaning” example to see how well it fits the definition
of a project.
After proving that “project management” is not a big deal after all, and that anyone
can do it, the question arises: “So should we bother to learn about it?”
Sticking to the above examples, the answers are:
• Everyone can play football, but playing on a team and scoring goals requires prac-
tice, tactics and a good coach.
• Cleaning a flat is not that easy — it’s more than sweeping here and there.
• Shopping can be a waste of time, and we can spend a fortune on unnecessary use-
less goods…
• …and living on a monthly salary… that is an art in itself.
FIGURE 1
Cleaning the Flat Project
ELEMENTS OF THE DEFINITION: TEST:
a result-oriented, concrete, practical effort Yes, very practical, and for most of us quite an effort…
directed towards the solution of a relatively In the case of a regular “kids room” it is definitely
complex problem or issue a complex issue…
defined objectives and expected results Yes, the flat should be clean.
limited by time, financial, technical and Yes, nobody likes to waste hours cleaning, a vacuum
human resources cleaner can be a great technical asset and an
additional person would help to clean it faster.
planned in advance and evaluated at the end Yes, it rarely occurs spontaneously of goes unnoticed.
one-time occasion, non-frequent, Ok, we wish… but any room-cleaning can also be
non-periodical effort described as a “non-frequent” effort, distinctive
from the last one we did three months ago!
the 3Ps – project is part of a programme, How do we perform the cleaning? How often?
programmes are part of a policy… What does “clean the rooms” actually mean? This
is already “programme” level. Your lifestyle already
governs the general “policy” level, which defines
the framework for the “programmes and projects.”
a tool or a goal? Room cleaning is a very good example when
reaching the goal.
Of course, this manual is not for “shoppers” or “maids,” but for project managers of
(environmental) non-governmental organisations (NGOs). As the concept of project
management is not new, we would like to highlight some of its practical aspects and
briefly some methods and tools that make a project manager’s life easier.
Objective of the Guide

This guide offers information and activities to help the trainer:
• become familiar with the concept of project management;
• improve participants’ ability to plan, implement and evaluate projects;
• offer hands-on experience in developing strategy, selecting mechanisms and honing
the skills required to effectively implement projects; and
• provide the technical skills needed for planning.
Skills to be Developed
Upon successful completion of a training based on this guide, participants will be
able to conduct critical analyses of environmental needs, impacts of possible projects and
their own organisation’s capacities. They will also learn various ways to increase their
managerial effectiveness and efficiency.
Content
This guide works through the various stages of analysis, planning, implementation,
evaluation and reporting. It contains definitions, explanations and activities designed to
introduce and enforce the concepts and practical aspects of environmental project man-
agement.
Delivering the Training

This guide should be used in combination with the activities presented in the train-
ing toolkit. Most of the guide’s content is designed in a way that can be used as a hand-
out or reader for the participants during the training session. The trainer is encouraged
to adopt it to the specific context and time frame of the training activity.
Training Project Managers

Managing a Project
Project cycle
We will highlight the most important stages of the project cycle
Stages of the Project Cycle from planning to final evaluation.
Mastering the project cycle is a critical skill. Most civil organisa-
Needs analysis;
tions constantly work and “live” on projects that run in parallel, follow
Goals and objectives; consecutively or overlap. Ideas for a new project may appear while
Strategy or methodology; closing another, causing one project to spiral into the next. The pro-
ject cycle tracks the individual projects to insure that no elements are
Plan of activities; left out. The components of the project cycle are listed on the left.
Implementation;
Evaluation; Needs analysis
Follow-up. Every project starts with an idea. Before any development begins,
the project manager and the team have to stop and perform a “reali-
ty check.” Two main elements must be assessed — needs and the
environment.
The needs assessment is based on the principle that the project
is not “work for the sake of working” but for accomplishing a goal.
Figure 2 displays the elements of a needs assessment as it relates to
the general social situation.
It is important to remember that there are two kinds of projects:
• reactive — seeking to solve an existing problem; and
• proactive — seeking to change the status quo in anticipation
of future problems.
FIGURE 2
Needs Analysis
Needs analysis includes
Social Situation of the Political Problem Economic

analysis target group analysis analysis conditions
GENERAL SOCIAL SITUATION
The following questions need to be answered at this stage:

• Who are our constituents/members of the target groups?
• Is there a need for this project? Does it reflect the community’s real needs?
• Does the community agree that there is a problem? Does the community want the
project? What would be their solution?
• What are the opportunities for a project? What is new and innovative in it?
• What is the project going to change?
This needs assessment will challenge our ideas; it will either strengthen our resolve or
make us reconsider our logic. Environmental assessments help to see the different lev-
els of the surrounding environment that affect the management and success of the project.
There are three main levels of environmental assessment: the organisation, the micro-
environment and the macro-environment.
Our own organisation – do we have the capacity and willingness?

• Human, financial, technical resources;
• Decision-making (who and how);
• Organisational culture;
• Other projects;
• Strategy, compatibility with the organisation’s mission.
Micro-environment — is our “neighbourhood” ready to be directly involved?

• Sources (possible donors or clients);
• Contacts;
• Social-cultural environment;
• Information.
Macro-environment — what are the larger considerations?

• Social; Objectives Should be SMART:
Specific;
• Political;
Measurable;
• Economic;
Achievable;
• Legal.
Realistic; and
Time-bound.
Project Planning
Defining the goal
From the needs analysis we know why this project is important. Now it is time to iden-
tify what the project is for, what the project should achieve and why it exists. In short, what
is the goal of the project?
The goal is a sentence-long phrase describing an image of a possible future that can
be worked towards. The goal need not mention specific dates or activities. It should not
be changed during the project, since changing the goal would involve drastic changes to
the project as a whole.
Defining objectives
Project ideas often react on needs, lack of resources or existing problems without defin-
ing the details. At the beginning, we need to narrow the tasks by breaking the general goal
into smaller objectives.
The objectives derive from the goal as one-sentence phrases, presenting the clear
keystones that the project will achieve by the end. In order to accomplish each objective,
a series of connected activities must be implemented. The smaller the number of objec-
tives, the less complex the activity tree will be.
A SMART objective (see sidebar on previous page) can be converted into specific tar-
gets and actions. The more abstract the objective, the more difficult it is to measure per-
formance. Managers need to discuss the objectives with their project team, target groups,
partners and colleagues. Objectives must be understandable and acceptable to those
who will help to achieve them.
In addition, it is worth clarifying some issues about indicators. Indicators describe
objectively measurable, empirically observable terms and provide the basis for measur-
ing performance and evaluating projects. They are parameters of change or results indi-
cating to what extent the project objectives have been achieved. Indicators help to cre-
ate transparency in conveying to others what the project intends to achieve.
It is relatively easy it identify indicators for quantitatively measur-
able tasks. For example, it is easy to decide whether 25 copies of a
letter have been sent. Qualitative tasks, however, are more problem-
A strategy outlines how atic. It is difficult to estabilish, for instance, whether the letter itself
management intends to was well written.
achieve its objectives. Some indicators must be preliminary agreed upon with the donor
and the target groups in order to unify the expectations of the pro-
ject’s activities and results.
Situation analysis
At this stage the most important questions are whether the organisational structure
has to be amended for the project and to what extent.
Also, a draft resource analysis is advisable at this point. The easiest form is the SWOT
analysis — an outline of organisational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
that shows the expected positive and negative effects of the project.
Strategy and methodology

A strategy outlines the basic steps management plans to take in order to reach an
objective or set of objectives. The choice of one or more strategies will usually be made
after the project’s purpose has been decided.
Identifying a strategy involves:
• listing the various possible strategies available; and
• gauging whether the target group understands the process being proposed.
The methodology is the process through which the team approaches the project’s
objectives. It can take many forms, but it should always be coherent and insure that
results will be available in a timely manner.
The methodology chosen should reflect the overall concept of the project, as well
as the mission of the organisation. For example, most environmental organisations
would not condone a methodology of killing off natural predators in order to save an
endangered species.
The working methods are the way that we are going to do the activities to pursue
concrete objectives or steps. It is very important that other people or partners should
understand the methodology and strategy of the project.
Setting parameters and the framework (time, money, resources)

As stated above, projects have time limitations. A conservative approach to setting
the deadline will allow for unforeseen difficulties. Deadlines should be negotiated and
agreed upon with the responsible team members. The smart project manager always has
“secret deadlines,” too — hoping the best but expecting the worst…
The budget draft displays the fixed assets and personnel costs, as well as the direct
project costs. As with the deadlines, we need to set a best case scenario for the ideal bud-
getary conditions and a worst case scenario for a minimal budget that is still enough for the
project. The budget draft will also aid proposal writing and help attract future supporters.
Decision-making methods, tasks, roles, responsibilities

Though funding is a necessary part of any project, the team’s staff and network are
much more important to its overall success. Their dedication, expertise and effort will
likely decide the fate of the project. It is crucial that expectations and responsibilities be
discussed and defined in advance, because undefined expectations may cause serious
misunderstandings, personal conflicts and problems that may hold back the project or
cause it to fail. Job descriptions, contractual agreements and methods of quality control
are not only important in profit-making industries!
The project manager is “first among equals,” in delegating functions and roles among
the staff members. It is always important to discuss how information will be shared: even
such trivial tools like e-mail circulars can cause problems if the “who, when, what and
how” are not well defined.
Planning
It is ineffective for a manager to work without a plan. Figure 3 lists many ways that
effective planning can improve the quality of a project. Figure 4 shows how planning
leads to specific questions.
Managers have a primary responsibility for planning. In fact, some managers see
planning as the primary management function and think that organising and monitoring
are secondary.
Two of the most important questions that managers must answer are: What is to be
accomplished? and How?
The planning function requires managers to make decisions on important elements
of the project such as objectives, actions, resources and implementation.
How does a manager begin the planning process? Many professionals agree that ask-
ing the project team the right questions can solve many of the tasks at hand. Figure 4 con-
tains an extensive list of questions about the project’s objectives, actions, resources and
implementation that a manager needs to address.
FIGURE 3
Why Plan?
Planning allows an organisation to affect rather Planning is an opportunity for different levels of
than accept the future. the organisation to coordinate their activities and
share advice.
By having a plan, the organisation commits itself
to action. Planning allows managers to concentrate on the
task at hand.
Planning provides management with a blueprint
for the project. Team members who are involved in planning will
work with a greater sense of purpose.
Planning foresees the resources needed for the
project’s activities.
FIGURE 4
Key Managerial Planning Issues
PLANNING ELEMENT KEY MANAGERIAL DECISION
Objectives What objectives will be sought?

What is the relative importance of each objective?
How are the objectives related to one another?
When should each objective be achieved?
How can each objective be measured?
Which person or organisational unit should
be responsible for the objectives?
Action What important actions affect the successful

achievement of objectives?
What information exists regarding each action?
What is the appropriate technique for forecasting
the future state of each important action?
Asking the right What person or organisational unit should be
questions for each accountable for the action?
element of the plan
is critical. Resources What resources should be included in the plan?
How are the various resources related?
What budgeting techniques should be used?
Which person or organisational unit should be
accountable for the preparation of the budget?
Implementation Does the organisation have the necessary authority

to implement the plan?
What policy statements are necessary to implement
the overall plan?
To what extent are the policy statements
comprehensive, flexible, realistic, ethical and
clearly written?
Which individuals or organisational units
would be affected by the policy statements?
FIGURE 5
Phased Logic Gantt Chart
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
NEEDS ASSESSMENT PHAS

PHASE
E
Analyse school data available
Write parent and teacher

survey
Distribute surveys
Gather and analyse surveys
RESEARCH PHASE
Research other schools
Evaluate ammes
PLANNING PHASE
Meet with parents
Br with faculty
Draft proposal
Approve plan with comittee
IMPLEMENTAT
T ION PHASE
Hold fundraisers
Apply for grants
Hire staff
Enrol students
ANALYSIS
L PHASE
Observe school data available
Survey students, parents,

teachers
Draft report
results
to school board
Project implementation
Project implementation is where the plans are actually carried out. Reverting to our
house-cleaning analogy, it is where we physically wash the clothes, sweep the floor and
dust the shelves.
The real project management challenges are:
• keeping to the project’s objectives;
• documenting the project;
• collecting and sharing information;
• coordinating and organising;
• keeping deadlines;
• making decisions;
• monitoring and evaluating;
• maintaining contacts with partners;
• delegating responsibilities;
• staff and team building, human resource management; and
• whatever else may come…
Monitoring all of these tasks requires skill and commitment. Although a popular
quote claims that “only fools control things in order, the genius oversees the chaos,” in
truth, keeping things under control requires just as much talent, especially when more
people are involved and information must be shared.
We’ll now take a look at some useful tools for keeping tasks in control.
Gantt chart
The Grant chart was developed as a managerial tool for tracking the interrelatedness
of project activities. Figures 5 and 6 show two types of Gantt charts. They both show:
• the concept of the Gantt chart;
• how complex project management tasks can be visualised; and
• that a good project manager keeps the chart as simple as possible to avoid getting lost
in the details.
In many cases a simple table, like the one shown in Figure 7, can be just as helpful. Activ-
ities are often related to one another. Figure 8 demonstrates how time-phasing can be incor-
porated into the table. It is a practical tool that allows managers to track multiple activities that
may be related and may require time commitments from project staff. When the same person
or team is required for two different projects, the manager is forced to prioritise the activities.
According to this chart we can see:
• a work-plan time frame;
• delivery dates;
• the “give” and “get” (inter-project dependency) dates; and
• work-plan visibility.
An accurate starting date and closing date for each of the planned activities are criti-
cal. Do a complete activity/timetable for yourself, even if the public will need to see only
parts of it. Try not to put too many activities in any single time period, as both monitor-
ing and resources may be strained.
FIGURE 6
Project Development Schedule
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Explore market need
Develop concept for

product
Begin development cycle
Develop GUI
User interface test

evaluation
Alpha version release
Quality accurance testing

Phase 1
Fix outstanding problems

from Alpha
Beta version release
Quality assurance testing

Phase 2
Fix outstanding problems

from Beta
Design box and CD labels
advertising campaign
FCS preparation
Final quality
testing
FCS release
Production and packaging
A good work plan must be forecasted and specified in budget any terms, too. Manage-
ment can select the type of budget that best suits the planning needs of the organisation.
The project’s goal, objectives, and plans are not mutually exclusive components of
the management process. They are highly interdependent and inseparable. The impor-
tance of clear and sound objectives cannot be overstated.
FIGURE 7
Project Monitoring Table
What will How Who When? Where? Results Indicators Budget

be done? will do it? foreseen
FIGURE 8
Time Phased Priority Network
Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Activity A
Activity B
Activity C
Activity D
Activity E
Activity F
Logical framework
Finally, the logical framework matrix, or “logframe,” is a project design and manage-
ment tool. By setting out project objectives in a hierarchy and requiring planners to iden-
tify the critical assumptions and risks that may affect project feasibility, the logframe pro-
vides a means of checking the internal logic of the project plan. During the specification
of verifiable indicators and means to verify progress, planners are reminded to think
about how they will monitor and evaluate the project right from the start.
The logframe helps to construct the internal logic of the project. It assists the process
of defining operational goals, objectives and activities for projects, and prompts the man-
ager to challenge assumptions. Furthermore, it helps the understanding of the interaction
among these elements by placing them in a logical sequence. In addition, it connects the
elements of the planning process with the implementation itself, by assisting the devel-
opment of measurable indicators for the monitoring of the initial state and further
progress of the project. Technically, the logframe method consists of a matrix where all
elements of a project need to be arranged, and where logical inferences are defined
among the cells of the matrix from the left-bottom up.
The logframe matrix, as shown in Figure 9, is a good tool for smaller NGO projects as
well, and as the European Union uses the logframe more and more often, it is definitely
worthwhile to learn about it. Unfortunately, a detailed description would be some 60 pages
so the chart below is only an indication. Further details are available on the
<europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/evaluation/methods/pcm.htm> website.
Managing resources
One of the first priorities of the manager is of course obtaining resources to do the
work. The resources can be financial, material, technical or human.
Financial resources
What is budgeting? The Webster’s Dictionary gives a number of definitions of
which “the amount of money available for, required for, assigned to a particular pur-
pose” appears to be the most relevant definition for our case. Budgeting is nothing new.
It is nothing more than the value of what you have, or will have, and what you intend to
spend it on.
Why budget?
As indicated above, a budget gives a clear overview of the financial resources
required to implement the work plan. First of all, this information is required by the
donor to approve a project document. An agreement is made between the donor and the
implementing organisation indicating that the activities stated in the project proposal will
be carried out by the project team within a certain period of time and at a certain cost.
It is of course both in the donor’s, as well as in the project’s, interest to carry out this
agreement as accurately as possible. The more accurate the budget is linked to activities
and to realistic costs, the easier it will be to stick to this agreement.
The budget plays an important role in the entire process of management. A poor bud-
get will likely create numerous problems during the implementation stage. In order to
develop a budget, we must foresee what resources the project will require, the required
quantity of each item, when they will be needed, and how much they will cost — includ-
ing the potential effects of price inflation. It is very important to make a specific budget
for each activity to make tracking the expenses easier when they are incurred.
FIGURE 9
The Logical Framework Matrix
Intervention Objectivelly Sources of

Assumptions
logic verifiable indicators verifications
Overall
objectives
Project
purpose
Result
Activities Means Cost
Pre-conditions
FIGURE 10
Management Focus: Successful Managers Versus Efficent Managers
Are successful managers different from effective man- Effective managers meanwhile are those who have
agers? Most experts believe that there are important achieved high levels of quality and quantity of work in
differences. They define successful managers as those their departments while at the same time generating
who have moved up the hierarchy quickly. high levels of satisfaction and commitment among
employees. The difference? Effective managers (those
who get the job done) spend more time in routine
communication and human resource management.
Human resource management

Managing people is the most challenging and difficult aspect of the manager’s job.
Each person is unique, and while theories of motivation may be able to predict the
behaviour of most people most of the time, they are useless for predicting what an indi-
vidual will do in a specific situation. The art of management is to know the limitations of
theory and to modify predictions when necessary.
Human resource management can be defined as the process of getting the right num-
ber of qualified people into the right job at the right time. It is considered a process of
accomplishing project objectives by acquiring, retaining, developing and using properly
the human resources within the organisation. The acquisition of skilled, talented, and
motivated people is an important part of human resource management. The sidebar pre-
sents some key questions that human resource managers must continually ask.
Through observations and study, managers must determine the skills available with-
in the organisation. When skills are lacking, managers must decide on training or recruit-
ing measures to address those needs. Figure 10 presents an interesting differentiation
between successful and efficient managers. Naturally, not all performance can be
gauged, but all managers are wise to keep the advice in mind.
Based on this information an active development programme can be designed,
including training, education and general preparation of the project team for present and
future work.
Planning and Improvisation

Having reached the middle of project implementation, managers have well-estab-
lished plans, charts, and justifications; the project team works properly and everybody is
happy. Nevertheless, management must be on the lookout for misfortune. Meeting crisis
situations with creative solutions, rather than with quick fixes or procrastination, is a crit-
ical management skill. Although some people deal with stress better than others, every-
one can improve their crisis management skills by following a few basic guidelines.
Feedback and communication are easy things to take for granted. Remember that
when things go wrong it is natural for people to get defensive about their performance.
They may even help cover up their colleagues’ misdeeds. Creating an atmosphere where
employees feel comfortable and trust their superiors takes time to build. Make sure your
organisation pro-actively constructs an atmosphere where employees speak freely and
honestly. When a crisis comes, everyone on the project team should be focused on get-
ting the project over the hump.
Communicate with the supporters. If the problems affect the project’s implementa-
tion and its success, it is better to give supporters an “early warning.” Funding organisa-
tions and individuals are partners, not enemies.
Closing and Evaluation

Many organisations mistakenly believe that a project ends as Parts of the Narrative Report
soon as the last scheduled activity is performed, but a project is not Introduction;
over until a thorough evaluation has been performed, supporters
Objectives and planned activities;
have approved it and reports and files are closed.
Project team member are rarely eager to wrap up the project or Results, objectives met or achieved,
collect and edit the narrative and financial reports. It’s not a creative successes;
or active phase — it is a tedious period, but should be considered Bottlenecks, problems, changes
equally important. It may help to consider it a vital first step toward (why were they necessary? Lessons
a future project. learned);
Evaluations, however, are not only performed at the end of a pro- Feedback from the target groups
ject. It is good to carry out: about the project;
• mid-term or “phase” evaluations at every significant milestone Follow-up plans;

and phase of the project, witch help to correct and adjust the pro- Annexes: Copies or samples of any
ject; materials developed and produced in
the project period (posters, leaflets,
• final evaluations at the end of the project; and study reports, newspaper,
publications, etc.).
• follow-up evaluations even a few months or a year after the pro-
ject.
• From a distance the successes and lessons learned can add new
aspects to new projects and the organisational development.
Reporting
The results of the evaluation can be incorporated into the final report that the project man-
ager submits to the supporters. The report has two parts: a narrative and a financial report.
The narrative report should be a faithful representation of the how the project devel-
oped. However, keep the text brief and to the point, concentrating on what would be of
interest to an outsider such as the donor. The structure of a narrative report can be seen
in the sidebar.
The financial report should clearly and accurately show the use of all funds. All pro-
ject-related expenditures must be presented. The easiest way is to simply compare the
planned budget to the actual expenditures. In those budget-lines where the variance is
over 10 percent, some justification is necessary. It is important that the financial report is
consequent to, and interlinked with, the narrative reports.
Training Toolkit
T R A I N I N G T O O L K I T: S C A V E N G E R H U N T
Tool 1: Scavenger Hunt

Description: Getting to know each other
Participants: As a group
Duration: 30 minutes
Procedure:
1 Explain to the group that they will be performing a scavenger hunt. Normally, a
scavenger hunt involves knocking on doors in a neighborhood in search of a list of
specific, often obscure objects. In this activity, however, participants will be look-
ing for others in the group who fit a specific criteria.
2 Hand out the Scavenger Hunt Treasures form (Figure 11). Explain that they should
fill in as many items as they can with names and specific pieces of information. Dis-
courage participants from relying on prior knowlegde of people in the group.
3 Collect the forms and either post them on the wall or share the information with
the group.
1
T R A I N I N G T O O L K I T: S C A V E N G E R H U N T
FIGURE 11
Scavenger Hunt Treasures
Find someone who likes to grow vegetables in a garden. What kinds?
Find two people who want to change what they’re doing. How will they do it?
Find two people who work at least 10 hours a day. What do they enjoy most
about their jobs?
Find two people who love their sisters or brothers. How do they show it?
Find someone who feels that he/she has a good balance between school (or
job) and home life. How is it done?
Find two people who have won an argument with their child(ren)/parent(s)
this month. How did they do it?
Find two people who consider themselves as “seekers.” What are they seeking?
Find two people who see themselves as creative. What makes them creative?
Find someone who feels stress on the job. How does he/she cope?
Find three people who have had a good laugh the past week. What were they
laughing at?
26
1P R O J E C T M A NAG E M E N T
T R A I N I N G T O O L K I T: A M B I G U O U S D I R E C T I O N S
Tool 2: Ambiguous Directions

Objectives: Demonstrating how even simple instructions can
be misinterpreted
Materials: Several sheets of paper (square sheets work especially well)
Time: 5-10 minutes
Procedure:
1 Select four participants (or ask for volunteers) and ask them to stand in the front of
the room, facing the group.
2 Give each of the four a sheet of paper.
3 Tell the participants that they must close their eyes during the exercise and follow
the instructions as closely as possible without asking questions.
4 Instruct them to fold the paper in half and then tear off the bottom right corner of the
paper. Tell hem to fold the paper in half again and tear off the upper right hand corner.
Tell them to fold the paper in half again and to tear off the lowest left hand corner.
5 Instruct them to open their eyes and display the unfolded paper to each other and
the audience.
Discussion:
What words in the instructions could be interpreted in different ways? How could the
directions have been clearer to reduce the ambiguity? How can we encourage people to
ask for clarification when they do not understand something?
2
T R A I N I N G T O O L K I T: R O B O T S
Tool 3: Robots
Objectives: Demonstrating the difficulties in managing
two things at once
Participation: Groups of three
Duration: 15 minutes
Procedure:
1 Divide the participants into groups of three: two robots and one robot controller.
The controller moves a robot to the right by touching the robot’s right shoulder and
to the left by touching the left shoulder.
2 Begin by telling the robots to walk in a specific direction.
3 The controller must try to stop the robots crashing into obstacles such as tables,
chairs and walls.
4 After about three minutes ask the controller to switch roles with one of the robots.
Repeat steps 2 and 3. Switch again after another three minutes.
Discussion:
What did it feel like trying to control two robots at once? What did feel like being a robot?
28
3P R O J E C T M A NAG E M E N T
Sample Workshop Agenda
S A M P L E WO R K S H O P AG E N DA
How to Deliver the Training

This sample agenda is intended to further help you tailor a training event on project
management using different elements of this manual and toolkit. The exact use of it, in com-
bination with other activities, should be based on what you know about the expectations
and experiences of your trainees, as well as on the time available to carry out the training
activity. In addition to the training topics, the sample agenda proposes activities that can
provide interactive elements to your training event.
FIGURE 12
Part 1 Introduction
CATEGORY PURPOSE SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Introduction Introduce participants to the Tool 1: Scavenger Hunt

training and get to know
each other
Expectations Express and clarify Discussion
expectations
Definitions Ask: What is a project? Discussion/
What is management? brainstorming
What is project management?
What is the project cycle?
Agenda overview Clarify training plan and Lecture
methods, relating them to
expectations of trainees
Part 2 Needs Analysis

Introduction Ask participants how they Discussion

determine the environmental
needs of their communities
Needs analysis Introduce the three levels Lecture
of environmental analysis
Defining aims and goals Define aims, goals and Lecture
indicators
FIGURE 12
Part 3 Situation Analysis

Introduction Introduce SWOT analysis Lecture

SWOT analysis Practice SWOT analysis in Activity
small groups using their
own NGOs as examples
Closing activity Discuss advantages and Discussion
disadvantages of SWOT
Part 4 Strategy and Methodology

Introduction Define and differentiate Discussion

strategy and methodology
Parameters and Present parameters and Lecture
frameworks frameworks for planning
(time, money and resources)
Activity Learn about ambiguity Tool 2: Ambiguous
in giving directions Directions
Part 5 Planning
Introduction Brainstorm about planning: Brainstorming

Why? Who?
Managerial planning Present key managerial Lecture
planning issues
Closing activity Solicit questions about topic Discussion
and issues to date
FIGURE 12
Part 6 Implementation
Introduction Present various methods of Lecture/presentation

implementation and
tracking mechanisms
Resources Present various resource Lecture
management issues
(financial, material,
technical, human, etc.)
Activity Demonstrate managing Tool 3: Robots
difficulties
Improvisation Discuss problems that can Discussion
arise and how to solve them
Part 7 Closing and Evaluating

Introduction Discuss the need for Discussion

evaluations and how the
participants perform them
Evaluations Present elements and forms Lecture
of evaluation
Reporting Present forms and elements Lecture
of reports
Closing activity Ask participants how they Discussion
could improve their
evaluations and reporting
Part 8 Summary
Review Review main points of Discussion

the training
Evaluation Hand out evaluation forms Evaluation
THE REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN
EUROPE (REC) is a non-partisan, non-advocacy, not-for-profit organisation with a
mission to assist in solving environmental problems in Central and Eastern Europe
(CEE). The Center fulfils this mission by encouraging cooperation among non-govern-
mental organisations, governments, businesses and other environmental stakeholders,
by supporting the free exchange of information and by promoting public participation
in environmental decision-making.
The REC was established in 1990 by the United States, the European Commission and
Hungary. Today, the REC is legally based on a Charter signed by the governments of 27
countries and the European Commission, and on an International Agreement with the
Government of Hungary. The REC has its headquarters in Szentendre, Hungary, and local
offices in each of its 15 beneficiary CEE countries which are: Albania, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, FYR
Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Recent donors are the European Commission and the governments of Albania,
Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands,
Poland, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom
and the United States, as well as other inter-governmental and private institutions.
Project Management

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DEVELOPING SKILLS OF NGOS

THE REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER

The entire contents of this publication are copyright

ISBN: 963 9424 23 4

Editing: Steven Graning, Design: Sylvia Magyar, Illustration: Laszlo Falvay

Sample Workshop Agenda 29

Do the above examples include these elements?

And what is management?

So what is project management?

Cleaning the Flat Project

ELEMENTS OF THE DEFINITION: TEST:

Objective of the Guide

Delivering the Training

Training Project Managers

Needs analysis includes

Social Situation of the Political Problem Economic

GENERAL SOCIAL SITUATION

The following questions need to be answered at this stage:

Our own organisation – do we have the capacity and willingness?

Micro-environment — is our “neighbourhood” ready to be directly involved?

Macro-environment — what are the larger considerations?

Strategy and methodology

Setting parameters and the framework (time, money, resources)

Decision-making methods, tasks, roles, responsibilities

Key Managerial Planning Issues

PLANNING ELEMENT KEY MANAGERIAL DECISION

Objectives What objectives will be sought?

Action What important actions affect the successful

Implementation Does the organisation have the necessary authority

Phased Logic Gantt Chart

NEEDS ASSESSMENT PHAS

Analyse school data available

Write parent and teacher

Gather and analyse surveys

Research other schools

Meet with parents

Approve plan with comittee

Apply for grants

Observe school data available

Survey students, parents,

Project Development Schedule

Explore market need

Develop concept for

Begin development cycle

User interface test

Alpha version release

Quality accurance testing

Fix outstanding problems

Beta version release

Quality assurance testing

Fix outstanding problems

Design box and CD labels

Production and packaging

Project Monitoring Table

What will How Who When? Where? Results Indicators Budget

Time Phased Priority Network

The Logical Framework Matrix

Intervention Objectivelly Sources of

Activities Means Cost

Management Focus: Successful Managers Versus Efficent Managers

Human resource management

Planning and Improvisation

Closing and Evaluation